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If you are struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder, you might wonder if you ever can or will experience relief from it. It may seem like no matter how hard you try, the unwanted thoughts, images, and obsessions stubbornly stick around. Even if you feel stuck now, recovery from OCD is possible with treatment and support.

Some individuals with a substance use disorder or mental health condition do not respond well to standard treatment. Their symptoms persist, even after trying multiple types of therapies and medication. This article will discuss why treatment resistance may occur and how it can be resolved. Neurofeedback is a viable brain therapy for those with various conditions, including treatment-resistance disorders.

Individuals often experience and express anger as a secondary emotion. This means that when people feel anger, they are often feeling it in response to another emotion that drives anger as a defense mechanism. Beginning to see anger as the tip of an iceberg and discovering what is underneath the surface can help individuals regulate it and other emotions.

There is a saying that says, “What we resist, persists.” This saying can ring true in many ways. This can be particularly applicable in the case of feeling emotions. Instead of resisting negative emotions, make peace with them by identifying what you are feeling and where you are feeling it. Learn to process these emotions with non-judgment.

Boundaries can be difficult, especially if you have frequently encountered codependency in your life. This can make it hard to know what you need and want when things in your inner world are not right—let alone know how to ask for it. Learning to set boundaries requires getting to know yourself and defining what is and is not okay with you in relation to other people, your space, and your time.

The human brain spends much of its time wandering, whether it be while working or performing routine tasks like running errands. Mind-wandering occurs when a person is thinking about something other than the task, such as past events or things yet to come. The brain goes into default mode, allowing all thoughts to pass through. It can be helpful to understand the pros and cons of mind-wandering, including how it can affect mental health.

There will be times in your life when you need to experience stress, as it is essential for your growth. Simply put, low-level stress is actually healthy, leading to feeling engaged, stimulated, and able to experience everyday life without it feeling like too much. As good as stress can be, there comes a point when it can begin negatively impacting your life—taking a toll on you physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.

Engaging in art has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety levels and have a positive impact on mental health and well-being. One of the eight components of wellness is creative wellness, and making space to embrace your inner artist can have a ripple effect in others areas of wellness. Perhaps you choose to engage in art on your own time, but you can also find healing through participating in art therapy.

As a human, you most likely experience stress, depression, and anxiety on some level. Thoughts and feelings may get overwhelming at times and have you questioning how to stop letting them take up so much time and space in your life. The bad news is that thoughts and feelings are part of the human experience and are here to stay, but that is only bad if you let them become bad. The good news is that there are practices, such as meditation, that can help you navigate low moods and difficult emotions with greater ease.

Forgiving another person for the pain they have caused can be challenging. Carrying around a grudge can also be a significant burden on one’s mental health and relationships. Substance abuse may also develop as a coping mechanism. Suffering behind long-held resentments or anger can cause immense unmanageability that can be remedied through forgiveness and letting go of those painful feelings.

If you ever feel overwhelmed by racing thoughts and anxiety, it can be helpful to cultivate a practice of journaling to experience peace of mind.

Battling the voices of judgment, self-doubt, and inadequacy is exhausting. It can hold you back from doing and being all you desire. As that is true, you may wonder how can you possibly begin to experience a true sense of self-acceptance, compassion, and freedom when it feels as if your inner critic is holding you hostage? Through learning to relate to your inner critic differently, you can find freedom.